Invasion Draft: Red Commons Gary Wise Black/Red While RG may be the purest form of beatdown, BR is likely the most devastating. Traditionally, there have been two ways in which a BR deck has been built: either with aggressive creatures backed up by a little kill, or massive amounts of kill with a few creatures that will do the damage after dominance has been established. While there are cards in the set that allow for either variety, the existence of common color hosers like the Acolytes mean that more often than not, the BR player will want to try to outrun their opponent. With this said, when drafting RB, you want to draft for speed. While Duskwalker and Pouncing Kavu are always going to be playable, you want to be careful with how many higher end creatures you draft. Make sure you get a healthy compliment of efficiently costed offensive creatures like Shivan Zombie and Kavu Aggressor. With cards like Soul Burn, Agonizing Demise and Smoldering Tar that combine direct damage with creature elimination backing such creatures up, you should have a strong, fast machine that will have multiple ways of finishing an opponent off. Red commons Ancient Kavu It's very easy to overlook how solid a card this particular Kavu is. Spoiled by sets of the past that have contained numerous common 3/3s for four mana, we suddenly find ourselves with a shortage of large creatures for the four-mana slot. Throw in an ability that can be very important in a set loaded with protection from red and color dependant abilities and you have a fundamental part of any red deck. A 3rd-5th pick. Crown of Flames While not normally a main deck card, the Crown could see some action if its owner is playing heavy red and/or has a lot of evasion or first strike. A 9th-11th pick. Hooded Kavu BR. I think it's pretty obvious that having black mana in one's deck is what makes or breaks this card. Where a 2/2 without special abilities will only see play if its owner is desperate for a slightly warm body, the Hood is a staple for RB decks because of its virtual unblockability. A 4th-6th pick. Kavu Aggressor Sometimes versatility can be ignored. Kavu Aggressor fills a very vital niche: that of the attacker. With a power of three for three mana, the Aggressor is obviously geared towards offense, but its ability to survive a Ravenous Rat block is what sets it apart from cards like the Viashino Grappler and Urborg Phantom. The Aggressor hits hard and often, with its kicker being a nice bonus on what would be a solid attacker regardless. A 5th-7th pick. Kavu Scout If you're playing two or fewer colors, you definitely don't want this wee beastie. If you're playing three or more, this monster will do. A 5th - 7th pick in 5cg. Maniacal Rage Now this is beatdown. The Rage's playability depends on two things: how aggressive your deck is, and how the deck would hold up in a longer game. If your deck's strategy is based around the idea of overwhelming an opponent, you won't find much in terms of a better way to do so. A 5th-7th pick in those decks that need it. Overload If you aren't playing white, you probably want one in the board, but there are so few artifacts worth playing it for in Invasion that it isn't really all that crucial. A 12th-14th pick. Pouncing Kavu In a format where 3/3s for 5 are almost the norm, this is one of the good ones. Like Duskwalker and Faerie Squadron, the kicker aspect on this beast is essentially a part of casting cost, with the non-kicker version not doing enough to warrant the use of the card. First strike is a rare ability in this format. Don't underestimate it. A 3rd-5th pick. Rogue Kavu Not a great card in any deck. Funny as this sounds, if you draft the 6-Turf Wound deck, this little Kavu hits harder then any 2cc creature in the format. A 12th-14th pick. Savage Offensive RG. First, I thought this card was great. Then I found out it was a sorcery and thought it was terrible. Then I read Zvi's article on Wednesday and left myself undecided. In the right deck (A super aggressive RG with lots of fast creatures), this card can be the Equivalent of 8-10 points of direct damage, with your opponent having the option of trading his creature for 3 points. Presently a 9th-11th pick, but it's on its way up. Scarred Puma The only time I could see myself playing this would be in desperation in the Savage Offensive deck. A 13th-15th pick. Scorching Lava Red's strongest common, the Lava is the most efficient way to kill a small creature in the format. That said, with many of the most important non-tappers in Invasions having a toughness of three or greater, this card is kind of weak when you consider it's the best common red has to offer. A 1st-3rd pick. Slimy Kavu While never optimal, you could do worse then the slimy Kavu. While its ability is only a minor one, turning a land to a Swamp can be a big deal. Alan Comer loves combining multiples of the Kavu and Dream Thrush to keep opponents permanently color screwed, and while I don't think I'll take it that far, I have won games by depriving my opponent of their third color of mana. Throw in the ability to improve spells like Ordered Migration and Kavu Scout and you have a playable card. A 7th-9th pick. Stun RG. File this one in with the Savage Offensive, Maniacal Rage group. If your deck gets off to a slow start, Stun will be nothing more then a red card that cycles, but if you get off to a quick jump, not only will Stun allow you to do more damage than your start would otherwise allow, but it will also fuel your hand allowing you to maintain momentum. An 8th-10th pick. Thunderscape Apprentice RG. As you can see, the archetypical RG deck is going to pick up the word 'jank' on the end of its name. Using a number of less then optimal cards, it uses their common aggressiveness to create a deck. If you're playing RG, this little guy is playable. Don't take it too early though. A 7th-9th pick. Tribal Flames As one could easily see by reading the card, Tribal Flames is best in a 5cGreen deck. That said, even if you're only playing two colors, the Flames is more then good enough to play. A 2nd - 4th pick. Turf Wound People laugh at me when I say this, but I like this card for its capacity to force a discard by your opponent on their third turn when you play first. That means time advantage and card advantage. While your deck can perform really well if you get five or six of them, I'd only recommend Turf Wound as a sideboard card for those games in which you know you're playing first. A 10th-13th pick. Viashino Grappler RG. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you... mediocrity. I for one would never be pleased with a deck containing this little critter, but desperate times can call for desperate measures. A solid body that is allowed to block, you could do worse, but you sure don't want to. A 7th-9th pick. Zap There are times where this card feels like its better then Agonizing Memories. Need to get rid of that pesky Apprentice? What would you rather do, kill it and deal a point of damage for 6 mana or kill it and draw a card for three? Ok, so Zap isn't as good as Agonizing Memories, but against some decks, it's just dominant. A 5th - 7th pick.